Translate

Wednesday, December 16, 2015

Matt Manochio & Twelfth Krampus Night

Not every writer makes their work so much fun that I giggle like a demented school girl when I get my greedy little hands on a new book. Matt Manochio is one of those writers. I know before I even crack the cover that I'm in for a thrill ride full of humor & terror. Medieval monsters that hunt naughty children, wraiths' from the civil war, and ghastly crones that want to replace your insides with hay stalk through the pages of Matt Manochio's work. I was lucky enough to be able to interview Matt as part of the Twelfth Krampus Night blog tour hosted by Erin Al-Mehairi at Oh, for the Hook of a Book. Follow along for more fun! Now before Krampus and Frau Perchta get started on their holiday hunt let's get to know more about Matt Manochio,,,,

Matt Manochio was born in 1975 in New Jersey and graduated from The University of Delaware in 1997 with a history/journalism degree. He spent the majority of his 13-year newspaper career at the Daily Record in Morris County, New Jersey, where he won multiple New Jersey Press Association Awards for his reporting. He wrote about one of his passions, rock ‘n’ roll giants AC/DC, for USA Today and considers that the highlight of his journalism career. He left newspapers in 2011 for safer employment.

His debut novel, The Dark Servant, was published with Samhain Horror in November of 2014. His second novel, Sentinels, was release November 2015, just prior to Twelfth Krampus Night in December 2015. He currently lives in New Jersey with his son.

HM: I love your use of Krampus and other Eastern European folklore in The Dark Servant and Twelfth Krampus Night. What made you chose these legends and can we expect to see more?

I would say these legends chose me. I say that because I first learned about Krampus in December 2012 when my boss asked me if I’d ever heard of him and showed me a website dedicated to the big guy. And the legend blew me away because of its absurdity (I say that lovingly; I mean Saint Nick has a demon helper?) and because it was so original to me (but not the continent of Europe). I literally had an epiphany and knew I had to write about him. I touched base with my editor that same day and he said go for it. I never planned on another Krampus book after the Dark Servant, but readers in their reviews said they were looking forward to more of him. So I began thinking, how am I going to do this without making him appear like Jason Voorhees. You can only kidnap bad kids and punish them in so many ways. So I began working backwards. The Dark Servant is set, more or less, in the present day. Twelfth Krampus Night is set in Medieval times, and involves Krampus and another dark servant, Frau Perchta, a belly-slitting hag, trying to infiltrate a heavily fortified castle to get their prey. Meanwhile, there’s an insurrection going on inside the castle and people are trying to get out, but realize something hideous is outside waiting for them. So while there is an aspect of Krampus and Perchta wanting to get bad kids, the setting and circumstances are entirely different. As for the future, I am in the beginning stages of another Krampus story that I hope becomes a novel. And yes, there will be at least one more dark companion involved. Perhaps more. I’m not sure yet. The voices in my head have yet to tell me what to do.

HM: What do you like to do when you’re not writing? Hobbies?

Honestly, being a single dad is my primary concern. I don’t get much time for anything else. And I’m not complaining. But I do have a drum set that I enjoy pounding on (did I mention I like AC/DC?). And I do like to read at night while my boy’s falling asleep next to me. I don’t have a favorite genre, if the story appeals to me, I’ll read it.

HM: How long have you been writing?

Novel writing: I began trying to live the dream in 2007. But I was a newspaper reporter for 12 years, from 1999-2011, and enjoyed writing, in general, long before that. That’s probably why I was drawn to journalism, because it served as a writing outlet.

HM: Who or what inspired you to be a writer?

Nobody really inspired me to be a writer. I could do that better than math and that’s why I went down that road. But I would say Dave Barry, the humorist, had a big impact on me because he showed me you could write humor in a newspaper for a living. And even though I don’t do that, I am able to blend humor into my books. I love doing that. I just hope people find it funny.

HM: What do you find most challenging and enjoyable as an author?

The most challenging, right now, is finding the time to write. It’s difficult when you’re paying attention to a toddler almost full time. Enjoyable: When you’re into a story, and you see where it’s going, and you can’t wait to sit down and write. That’s a great feeling.

HM: What books do you enjoy in your free time?

I don’t have a favorite genre, if the story appeals to me, I’ll read it. Right now I’m reading Fortune Smiles by Adam Johnson. I just finished Finders Keepers by Stephen King.

HM: Who is your favorite author/book and why?

I don’t have a favorite author/book. Put I always cite Jurassic Park (Michael Crichton), Salem’s Lot (Stephen King), and The Hobbit (JRR Tolkein) as my three favorite books. I enjoy dinosaurs and science fiction, certain horror books (ones that aren’t over-the-top bloody), and I dig certain fantasy stories. All of those things are accounted for in those three books.

HM: Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?

Publishing is a tough, heartbreaking business. You must keep at it, if you’re serious about getting published that is. It can, and likely will, take years. Everyone gets rejected, so get used to it and don’t take it personally. It’s trite, but it’s true: Don’t give up.

HM: Can you tell us about any of your new work?

My two newest books published in November and December, respectively. They are Sentinels, which takes place shortly after the civil war, and Twelfth Krampus Night, which is my novella sequel to The Dark Servant of last December.

Beyond that, I don’t like divulging too much about my future projects. But I have a couple that I want to complete in the next year or so. One involves Krampus, and the other involves a vampire that is a truly horrid creature for numerous reasons.

HM: What question do you wish someone would ask and what is the answer?

I’m trying to think of one, but can’t! I think you’ve done a good job. Ooh! I have one…

Matt, are you doing any giveaways for Twelfth Krampus Night?

Why, yes I am! Thanks for asking. I’m giving away a $50 Amazon giftcard via Rafflecopter. All I’m asking is for people to read Twelfth Krampus Night (it costs less than some Starbucks drinks) and review it on Amazon. Follow this link:

And scroll to the bottom for the instructions. (Or they can use the link at the bottom of your post too)! You get five extra entries if you review it on Amazon and inform my publicist, Erin Al-Mehairi, at hookofabook@hotmail.com. Everything else you need to know is there. Thanks!

I appreciate you having me on your blog!

HM: It was great having you here!

Twelfth Krampus Night [4.5 stars]

From the Description Dark servants clash!

Medieval maiden Beate, who’s grieving over the mysterious evisceration of her best friend, Gisela, must escape a Bavarian castle under siege by sadistic creatures.

Standing in her way—beyond towering walls and crossbow-toting guards—are Saint Nicholas’s demonic helper, Krampus, and Frau Perchta, a belly-slitting hag who prowls the countryside during First Night festivities to punish naughty teens.

Beate wants out. Krampus and Frau Perchta want in, determined to breach the castle to snag their prey. Beate has no idea why these monsters want her, but she must use her wits to save herself from horrors both human and inhuman—lest she wind up like Gisela.

I received an ARC of this eBook in exchange for an honest review. This is in no way reflected in my opinion of this novella. For more information about Twelfth Krampus Night or Matt Manochio follow along with the blog tour at Oh, for the Hook of a Book.

Twelfth Krampus Night is a super fun fairy tale perfect for those of us that want a little blood and gore to spice up our holiday season. This novella starts off fast and never slows down. I read the whole thing in one sitting. I was captivated by the whimsical and darkly humorous story of Krampus and Frau Perchta as they hunt down their prey. I found myself both cringing and laughing out loud more than once while reading this one. I loved the characters, Beate is a girl ahead of her time and my favorite. Curl up with some spiced eggnog and enjoy this 4.5 star romp through a winter wonderland.

Praise for Matt Manochio“Twelfth Krampus Night is an enjoyable read and a strong horror story. Manochio is a very strong writer and his talent is evident in this novel. I easily slid into the world that Manochio creates and was fascinated by Frau Perchta and Krampus.” –Minneapolis Examiner.com

“The Dark Servant is everything a thriller should be–eerie, original and utterly engrossing!” — Wendy Corsi Staub, New York Times bestselling author

“Beautifully crafted and expertly plotted, Matt Manochio’s The Dark Servant has taken an esoteric fairy tale from before Christ and sets it in the modern world of media-saturated teenagers–creating a clockwork mechanism of terror that blends Freddy Krueger with the Brothers Grimm!” — Jay Bonansinga, New York Times bestselling author

“Matt Manochio is a writer who’ll be thrilling us for many books to come.” — Jim DeFelice, New York Times bestselling author

“Matt Manochio has taken a very rare fairytale and turned it into a real page-turner. Matt has constructed a very real and believable force in Krampus and has given it a real journalistic twist, and he has gained a fan in me!” — David L. Golemon, New York Times bestselling author

“In The Dark Servant, Matt Manochio has taken the tantalizing roots of Middle Europe’s folklore and crafted a completely genuine modern American horror story. … I fell for this story right away. Matt Manochio is a natural born storyteller.” — Joe McKinney, Bram Stoker Award-winning author

“Could there be a dark side to Santa? And if so, what would he do to those kids who were naughty? Matt Manochio provides the nail-biting answer with The Dark Servant.” — John Everson, Bram Stoker Award-winning author

“If you want some pure escapism on a quiet afternoon and you don’t mind a little–okay, maybe a lot–of blood, SENTINELS is exactly what you’re looking for. Manochio is a talented author with a bright future and someone who’s work I will follow with great interest.” –Shotgun Logic

Giveaway!!

Test your luck and enter to see if you’ll win a $50 Amazon Gift Card and a print copy of The Dark Servant (Matt’s Krampus book from 2014). Anyone can enter and you can enter multiple times per day in various ways.

Also, if you review Twelfth Krampus Night and send the link to Erin Al-Mehairi, Publicist, at hookofabook@hotmail.com, and click you’ve done this on the Rafflecopter section for it, you will get 5 extra entries!! Any questions, defer them to Erin as well. Click on the Rafflecopter daily to enter!

About Me

Angela Crawford lives in Corpus Christi, Tx with her husband, Scooter(spoiled yorkie), Larry Bird (a pineapple green-cheeked conure), and two turtles. Her superpower is reading, no seriously it's reading. She reads like 4 or 5 books per week! She spends her free time answering to her little furry master (Scooter). Fishing in the gulf for sharks, because you know, Jaws is out there! Camping & hiking through Texas State Parks. And feeding an unhealthy obsession for Bruce Campbell. Angela loves all things horror but has a special place in her heart for werewolves, mutant redneck cannibals, and The Army Of Darkness.Owner and sole reviewer at Horror Maiden's Book Reviews. I do book reviews, Interviews and articles. If you're looking for an honest review look no further Let me spread the word about your work!